I am so proud of Age, and happy to share her success story. Age has not only lost 80 pounds, but has kept those pounds off by continuing with her nutrition and exercise program, which are now a big part of her lifestyle. She has been successful, not by dieting or trying some exercise fad (which is not a good or healthy way to lose weight), but by following an exercise program designed to assist her in reaching her fitness goals, and by replacing her food choices with healthier ones, while watching her portion sizes.

She never ate breakfast; now she does.

She has cut out soda, and drinks water either before or after every meal.

She has cut out her fried foods and eats more lean meats like chicken.

While she still likes burgers, instead of purchasing fast food burgers, she purchases 80% lean beef and makes her own.

White rice has been replaced with Brown Rice.White flour has been replaced with whole grains.She eats more often but in smaller portions.

She still goes out to dinner occasionally, but indulges sensibly.

She exercises at least 3 times weekly using an assigned workout program designed for her ( as well as some other fun exercises she likes to add).

Age started her journey toward greater health in 2011. Last week, I snapped this 'after' photo of her working out and weighing in at 175 pounds. She has lost an average of 20 pounds per year over the last four years, and continues to look beautiful and amazing.

Age, I am so very proud of you!

Val

A Val's Fitness Success Story

My Story

Eight years ago I weighed 230 pounds. My exercise routine? Fishing. My wife would sometimes nag a little about my weight, but I didn’t worry about it. I was happy. No problem here.

Until one day I couldn’t bend over far enough to tie my own shoes. At first I got mad. Not at me, at my wife for feeding me too much! Eventually I realized I had to do something.

I started with a diet. I was completely miserable and it didn’t work. I needed a new plan. With a demanding management job and five kids, I had to find a way to get results without spending a lot of time. My first step was a fitness assessment and consultation with Val. That also turned out to be the first step towards finishing my first marathon……a goal I had never even dreamed of.

My Results

All I wanted back then was to lose weight. Val coached me through a program of proper nutrition and cardio workouts. I started losing pounds immediately. And no dieting! At first I could only run/walk a mile on the treadmill. I ran so heavily you could hear the pounding outside. Val focused on improving my balance and core strength. My form started to smooth out. I began to run more efficiently.

Nobody, including my wife, thought I’d keep it up. But Val got me really focused. A year later I finished a 40 mile race. In 2008 I ran the Portland Marathon in 3:27, and the following year in 3:18. That qualified me for the Boston Marathon. I ran my first Boston in 2010 in 3:19 and have been running it every year since.

I was born an adventure buff with a love for climbing, hiking, running and general cavorting out of doors. Unfortunately, I was also born with hyper-extensive joints that are easily injured. By the time I was 26, I had damaged my ankles so severely they needed to be reconstructed using tendons taken from my leg. The recovery was long and painful and my doctors told me I’d never run again. But I was determined to do just that and more.

By the time I became a Val’s Fitness client, I had been lifting weights for twenty five years. I had managed to keep active but had been plagued with frequent injuries.

I am a busy high-tech executive and can’t spend a lot of time in the gym. And even if I could, I’d rather be outside. I needed somebody who could work with an injury and get results quickly.

My Results

Val targeted my biggest liability, my ankles, with lots of exercises requiring balance and flexion. We strengthened the muscles around all my joints with resistance training. Now my injury rate is close to nil. I’m also more toned and have better posture—a real plus in any business situation. Perhaps most surprisingly, I am spending less time strength training but getting twice the results I used to. That means more time to get outside and do what I love. Including running---that’s me in the hat at the finish line of the Shamrock Run 5K.Never say never.

"I have been lifting weights for more than thirty years. I've had the pleasure of working with Val for the last seven. Now I spend half the time I used to in the gym and get twice the results. Both aerobically and strength-wise, I'm doing things I never thought I could. It's fun and inspiring to work with someone who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk" ----Denise